Poison
by emmyrad
Summary: Sequel to "Power." When Sam's new powers lead to a horrible accident, Sam decides she doesn't want her powers anymore. But when Vlad sets his sights on kidnapping the goth, will Sam realize she's made a huge mistake?  Rated because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

_Power can be a poison. Depending on its potency, a little bit of it may be harmless, _

_but any more could do you in._

The camera mounted on the wall pivoted as it watched the students file into the gym. Several of the teens pointed at the camera, which was a new addition to the gym's decor. Some didn't even notice the camera, simply chatting with their friends as they stepped up into the bleachers to take their seats.

For most Casper High students, these new security cameras that now lurked in every corner of the school were a bit unsettling, but nothing to freak out about or dwell on.

Only one student chose to make a fuss about the new cameras, her arms crossed in stubborn resistance as she stomped into the gym.

"I can't believe this!" Sam fumed as she walked up into the bleachers and took her seat next to Danny. "This is totally unreasonable, a complete invasion of our privacy…"

"Don't worry, Sam," Danny said. "Tucker's going to hack into the cameras and… you know. Fix this."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Danny," Tucker said, huddled over his PDA. "I can't seem to shut them down. Maybe if I got a little closer to the source…"

"You can't, Tucker," Sam said, still seething. "You know we're not allowed to leave the gym during a school assembly."

It was a Monday morning, and the entire Casper High student body had been called into the gym for a special assembly. Most of the students were betting that it was about the new security cameras installed over the weekend.

"You really can't hack into the cameras?" Danny asked Tucker.

"Sorry, dude," Tucker said, putting down his PDA with a sigh. "They're state of the art."

"This is ridiculous!" Sam cried. "Why aren't you two freaking out? Do you realize how hard this is going to make it for us? Danny can't go ghost when he's constantly being watched by _security cameras_! Not to mention the fact that this is a total invasion of our privacy! Casper High is one of the smallest, safest public schools you could find! Why in the heck do we need _security cameras?_"

"Calm down, Sam," Danny said, watching Sam anxiously. Ever since Sam had developed ghost powers a couple of months ago, Danny had been keeping an especially close eye on her. He feared that if she got too worked up, she could really hurt somebody with what Tucker had dubbed her "ghostly telekinesis."

"I will _not _calm down!" Sam said. "Don't you see? This is so stupid, so uncalled for, so…"

"Vlad,"Danny said.

"Huh?" Sam and Tucker said in unison.

Danny pointed to the back of the gym, where Vlad Masters now stood, smiling up at the three teens in the bleachers menacingly.

"What the heck is _he _doing here?" Tucker said, scowling.

"Isn't it obvious?" Danny sighed. "He probably paid for the cameras. He did this to us."

"Why?" Tucker asked.

"Who knows?" Danny said. "To spy on me, to make it so that I can't go ghost easily… who cares? All I know is that he's going to pay."

"That's right, Danny," Sam said, now glaring at Vlad. "But wait until after the assembly. I'd like to see what our principal has to say about this."

Danny nodded in Sam's direction, not daring to take his eyes off of Vlad. Obviously, his arch-nemesis had something up his sleeve…

Suddenly, the gym lights dimmed, and the spotlight shone on the middle of the gym, where a makeshift stage had been set up. Mr. Lancer stepped onto the stage and took the microphone.

"Hello, students," Mr. Lancer said. "I'm sure you've noticed the new security cameras that have been installed around the school. We're here today in order to give a hearty thanks to the man who provided the money for these gadgets. Please welcome Mr. Vlad Masters!"

Mr. Lancer stepped over to the side of the stage as Vlad came up and took the microphone. Applause greeted Vlad as he waved at the audience.

"Hello, students of Casper High," Vlad said. "As I'm sure you're all aware, I myself attended Casper High when I was your age."

There were murmurs in the crowd; obviously, many were notaware of this. Vlad paid no attention to the whispers and continued speaking.

"My intention is that by providing the school with this security equipment, the school can keep a better eye on certain _problem students,_" Vlad pointedly looked at Danny while he said this, "and make sure that this school stays safe."

Next to Danny, Sam was fuming. Who did Vlad think he was? Sam understood that he wanted to bring Danny down, but did he really have to invade the rest of the Casper High student body's privacy in doing so?

A familiar chilling sensation was spreading through Sam's body, and she recognized it as her Ghost Powers. Part of her told her to calm down and to control her powers, but another part of her really, really wanted to teach Vlad a lesson.

Sam shook her head, trying to shake away the last thought. Sam wasn't normally so… violent. What had come over her?

"I really care about Casper High, and I just wanted to ensure the safety of the students who go here," Vlad said, sounding eerily sincere. "I only did this for you, the students."

Sam fidgeted in her chair, biting her tongue to keep from screaming.

_For us? He did this _for us_?_

Too late, Sam realized that she was over the edge. Her powers overwhelmed her as they pulsated through her body. Her heart seemed to be beating overtime, and her common sense became blurred as adrenaline kicked in.

Sam's eyes shifted up to the ceiling, and all she wanted to do was take it down. She wanted to crush Vlad, to make him suffer.

_No! _The small, sane part of Sam protested. _This isn't you! What are you doing? _

But it was too late. There was a loud rumble as the portion of the ceiling above the stage started to fall.

"Vlad and Lancer looked up, their eyes growing wide as they saw the ceiling above them break into large chunks and come hurtling down at them.

_"Crime and Punishment!" _Mr. Lancer gasped.

Vlad lunged to the side, barely avoiding the crash, but Mr. Lancer wasn't nearly as quick on his feet. The students watched in horror as their teacher was crushed.

Sam flung her hands to her mouth, watching the commotion below as tears started in her eyes.

_Did I just do that? _Sam thought._ Did I really just do that?_

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Vlad stood up, brushing himself off, glaring out into the audience angrily. Vlad knew that Danny must have done this, but when he caught the ghost-boy's eyes, he was surprised to find that the boy looked just as surprised as the rest.

Suddenly, Vlad noticed something. The Goth girl sitting next to Danny looked hysterical; her eyes were filled with tears. Could _she _have done this somehow?

Vlad ran outside, quickly going ghost, before turning invisible and flying back inside. He flew over to where the ghost boy sat.

"Where did Vlad run off to?" Danny Phantom said. "Stay here, you two. Sam- we'll talk later."

Sam nodded. Danny ran out of the gym.

"Did- did _you _do that?" Tucker Foley asked, looking at Sam.

Sam nodded.

"I- it got out of hand. My powers have a mind of their own," Sam's voice cracked on the last word. "How could I do this, Tucker? I'm a monster!" Suddenly, the Goth was full-out crying, and Tucker was leaning in to comfort his friend.

Vlad's eyes widened. How was it possible for a mere human to do that? Was she a half-ghost like him and Danny? How was this possible?

Vlad didn't know the answers to any of these questions. Yet.

But he was going to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The students were excused early that day, but Sam, Tucker, and Danny hung around a little after the other students had left to see Mr. Lancer carted into the ambulance.

"Will- will he be okay?" Sam asked an ambulance technician.

"Yes … he was very lucky. He has several broken bones, though— both of his arms and one of his legs, not to mention several ribs and possibly some fingers— so he'll be in a wheelchair for a long while, and then in physical therapy for even longer after his bones are healed."

As soon as the ambulance pulled out of the school parking lot, all eyes were on Sam.

"Sam, don't worry. It was an accident," Danny said. "We'll practice with your powers some more and you can learn to control them better."

"Are you kidding?" Sam said. "_Practice with my powers? _These powers have a mind of their own, Danny! I'm not controlling my powers; my powers are controlling me! If having powers means hurting people, I don't want them!"

Sam dug through her backpack, taking out a familiar Fenton Works device: the Fenton Specter Deflector.

"But Sam… that belt blocks your ghost powers, remember?" Tucker protested as his Goth friend put on the belt-like device.

"Exactly," Sam said. "No powers, no problems. As long as I keep this on…"

"You're going to wear that thing forever?" Danny said, sounding skeptical.

"Well, I don't have much of an option, do I?" Sam screamed. "Do _you_ want something like that to happen again?"

"Sam…" Danny started.

"I thought you of all people would support this, Danny," Sam said. "I thought you were the one worried about my powers in the first place. Do you even care about me anymore?"

"Sam, you know I do," Danny said, stepping forward to put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"So let me do this," Sam pleaded. "I don't want or need these powers. These powers hurt people. _You're_ the superhero of Amity Park. I just… I don't have the strength."

"But Sam," Tucker interrupted, stepping towards his two friends. "They're superpowers! Don't you want to at least give them another chance?"

"What, and let something like this happen again?" Sam said. "No way."

All right," Danny said, sighing. "I don't like the idea of you being defenseless, though. At least if you can use your powers I know that you can protect yourself…"

"Hardly," Sam sneered. "I barely can control them. And I'm _not_ defenseless. I was fine before I got my powers… you were always there for me."

"And that isn't going to change," Danny said, stepping closer to Sam.

"Um, guys? I'm right here," Tucker said.

Danny and Sam stepped away from each other, blushing furiously.

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Sam lay in her bed, listening to music while staring at the ceiling. She still had her school clothes on; she didn't want to go to sleep quite yet.

She wondered what might have happened between her and Danny that afternoon if Tucker hadn't been there. It had looked liked Danny was about to kiss her. Sam's heart skipped excitedly at the thought and she had to smother the naïve hope that swelled up inside of her.

Danny and Sam weren't broken up, but they weren't really together, either. Sam didn't know what she was expecting after she and Danny had their first real kiss a few months ago. Sam supposed that she'd thought that she and Danny would start going out and just become another one of the happy couples that she always saw around school.

But Sam was too scared to "officially" start dating Danny. What if things ended badly? What would happen to their friendship?

Danny, she knew, was as unsure as she was. Both of them were afraid to get into a real relationship with each other. They hadn't gone out on any dates, and they hadn't kissed since the day after they'd defeated Cyrus.

_What if he thinks I don't like him like that anymore? _Sam worried. _Because I do. I like him a lot. I might even… love him._

Sam's stomach lurched at her last thought.

_But like is good enough for now. I just want him to know that I'm still his. Tomorrow I'll ask him to the Nasty Burger and we can… you know, talk. Yeah. Talk._

Sam still felt queasy. Whether it was from the thought of talking to Danny about their relationship or the word "love," Sam knew that she would pass out if she didn't get some fresh air. Throwing on a jacket, she clomped down the stairs and pushed open her back door.

Sam Manson's backyard was… big… to say the least. It was at least twice the size of her home, and it had a fountain and a walking path. Slowly, Sam started walking along the path, wanting to stay outside in the cool night air for as long as possible. It was really beautiful out here at night. As much as nights in Amity Park gave Sam the creeps (especially considering the incident at the public pool a few months ago) she couldn't deny that she would rather be out here in the open air than cooped up inside her room.

The yard was completely silent. Only the crunching of gravel beneath Sam's shoes pierced through the quiet of the evening.

Suddenly, a chill came over Sam. It wasn't cold out; it was actually a fairly warm night.

_Am I getting sick? _Sam wondered.

Suddenly, a hand was over her mouth.

"_Mmmmph!_" Sam protested, struggling against her captor.

"Samantha Manson," Vlad Plasmius said, smiling wickedly as he held his hand over Sam's mouth.

Sam managed to break free, but she only could run a few steps before Vlad appeared in front of her and blocked her way. Sam turned to run a different direction, only to be blocked by Vlad yet again. Sam did a 360˚ turn to find that she was surrounded by Vlads.

_I can get out of this. I just need to use my powers…_

The Vlads were closing in. Sam tried to concentrate, to throw the Vlads backwards with her mind, but…

_Wait- the Specter Deflector! It's blocking my powers._

Sam quickly unstrapped the device and threw it to the ground, but she wasn't quick enough. Vlad closed in on her and grabbed her, and suddenly she was in pain. So much pain…

Sam's world went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Danny was sleeping went suddenly he was jerked awake. Danny sat up in bed, gasping for breath as if he'd been running.

_Something's wrong._ _Sam's in trouble._

Danny didn't know where this realization came from, but for some reason he was absolutely sure it was true.

Danny went ghost, leaving his home and flying to Sam's house as quickly as he could. He went intangible and dropped into Sam's room.

Sam's bed was empty.

"Sam, where are you?" Danny mumbled, frustrated. He knew Sam was in trouble, he knew that she was gone, but he had no clue where to start looking.

Danny buried his head in his hands, collapsing on to his knees as he fought the urge to scream.

_ Sam, Sam, where are you?_

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Sam slowly came into consciousness to the sound of Danny's voice.

_Sam, Sam, where are you?_

Sam opened her eyes, looking around, trying to find Danny. She was in an unfamiliar room. It looked like a laboratory… or a lair.

Sam was strapped to a table of sorts, her arms and legs bound. She was trapped.

Suddenly, Sam remembered the night before. Vlad had taken her.

Where was Danny's voice coming from, then? She could have sworn she'd heard him talking to her, asking her where she was…

_Sam, how am I supposed to find you?_

Danny! His voice was inside of her head.

Sam suddenly felt the urge to respond to the voice.

_Danny, help! Vlad's kidnapped me. _

Sam thought this with all her might, willing the thought to magically fly into Danny's mind as his thoughts had flown into hers…

"Samantha Manson," Vlad said, approaching the table Sam was strapped to.

"Vlad," Sam said, her voice cold with as much cruelty as her hoarse voice could muster. "What do you want with me?"

"Now, now, Samantha. I simply wanted to conduct a few tests on you," Vlad Plasmius said, chuckling. "You've proven to be quite an interesting specimen. Tell me, Samantha… how long have you had ghost powers?"

"The name is Sam," Sam growled. "And the rest is none of your business."

Vlad approached a machine that stood nearby Sam's table. With horror, Sam realized that she was connected to the machine.

"We can make you talk," Vlad growled, pressing a button on the machine. A surge of electricity flooded Sam's system, and Sam cried out in pain as her entire body shook with electric currents.

"Why does it even matter?" Sam cried out when Vlad finally stopped electrocuting her.

"You're right, Samantha," Vlad said, looking thoughtful. "I have far more important questions for you than that."

Vlad walked over to a desk on the other side of the room, opening a drawer to pull out a file.

"According to my test results, you're ¼ ghost. Not ghost enough to actually be able to make a real transformation, like Daniel and I, but enough that you still have strong ghost powers. Not ghost enough to be shocked by the Fenton Specter Deflector, but enough that your powers are blocked by it."

"This is very interesting to me, Samantha," Vlad continued. "How did this come about? How can somebody be ¼ ghost? And Samantha, you will tell me. If you do not… well, I have methods of extracting the information from you."

Sam's eyes darted to the machine that Vlad had used to shock her. Sam was afraid that if he shocked her again, she'd pass out. And she needed to stay awake, aware. Sam gritted her teeth as she prepared to answer Vlad's questions.

"After Danny turned half-ghost, the power went out around the city," Sam said. "I rushed inside the portal to help Danny, and the power came back on while I was inside."

"Very intriguing," Vlad muttered, turning back to his papers. Now he was talking less to Sam and more to himself. "That would explain why you have a bit of Daniel's DNA in your system… he was in the portal with you when your accident occurred. I wonder what kind of side-effects that might have? A psychic connection, perhaps. Now _that _would be interesting."

_A psychic connection? _Sam's breath hitched in her throat. Is that why she heard Danny's voice in her head earlier?

_Danny, Danny! If you can hear me, I'm with Vlad! Help!_

"So, Samantha," Vlad continued, oblivious to Sam's realization. "Was it _you _that took down the ceiling during the assembly today? You really injured your teacher."

"It was an accident," Sam said, scowling. "I was so mad at you… my powers took over."

"I see," Vlad said. "You can't control your powers yet. How… endearing."

Placing his files down on his desk, Vlad moved toward her. Sam cringed away.

"How would you like to be my apprentice, Samantha? I know your friend Danny has refused me multiple times, but you seem smarter than him. We can learn to control your powers… together. As master and apprentice. Father and daughter."

"Get away from me, creep!" Sam cried. "No way am I ever joining you!"

"Very well, child," Vlad said, moving back towards the machine that he'd used to electrocute her earlier. Sam's pulse quickened.

_Danny, hurry up! _

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_Danny, hurry up!_

Danny pressed his cool hand to his forehead as Sam's voice came to him. He was already flying to Vlad's lair. Sam had called to him a few minutes ago, telling him that Vlad had kidnapped her. Immediately, he'd set off in the direction of Vlad's lab.

Sam's voice sounded panicked now. Danny scowled as he wondered what Vlad could be doing to her to make her that scared…

_Hold on, Sam, I'm coming!_

Danny took off, flying as fast as he could to Vlad's place.

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"What are you going to do to me?" Sam said, her voice quivering.

"Well, first off, I'm going to run some more tests… some more painful than others," Vlad said. "After that, I'm not sure. I may dissect you… I may use you to trap Daniel… your fate is really up in the air as of yet."

Sam scowled at Vlad.

"You're just a lonely, twisted man, you know that?" Sam spat at him.

Vlad immediately mashed the button on the machine that Sam had come to fear so much. Sam screamed as her body shook with the painful electricity…

"Stop!" She cried. "Stop!"

"I'm _not _lonely," Vlad growled, finally letting go of the button. "I'm _not _twisted."

Sam's screams broke off when Vlad let go of the button. Sam whimpered. Her voice was raw from screaming, and her body tingled painfully. She was surprised she could take so much pain.

How long would she be here? How long until Danny found her?

_Hold on, Sam, I'm coming!_

Danny! He was coming! Sam smiled.

"Why do you smile, insolent girl?" Vlad said, scowling.

"Danny's coming," Sam said. "He's going to set me free, and we're going to kill you."

"How do you know?" Vlad said, smiling wickedly. "For all you know, it could be days before he realizes you're gone."

"No, he's coming," Sam said sleepily. "You were right. Danny and I do have a psychic connection. He just told me he's on his way."

_Maybe I shouldn't be telling him this, _Sam thought. But, no, Vlad's expression was totally worth it. He looked like he'd just smelled something horrible.

Sam giggled, watching Vlad stare open-mouthed at her.

"Cat got your tongue?" Sam teased.

Vlad reached over and pushed the dreaded button, sending Samantha back into a world of pain…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Danny could hear the screams from a mile away.

_Sam, Sam, I'm coming! _He thought frantically as he went intangible and dropped into the house. He drifted down into the basement, which resembled a laboratory. Sam lay on a table, strapped down, screaming bloody murder and twitching in pain as she was electrocuted…

"Sam!" Danny cried, becoming visible and rushing over to Sam's side.

Okay, so it wasn't his best entrance, but seeing Sam so… vulnerable… didn't exactly inspire creativity when it came to Danny's one-liners.

Danny could tell when Vlad let go of the button. Sam's body visibly relaxed, and her eyes fluttered open to gaze up at Danny.

"Danny," Sam said. Her voice was hoarse, and she looked like she was going to pass out any second.

"I'm going to kill you, Vlad," Danny said, clenching his fists at his sides. "You've gone way too far."

"Daniel," Vlad said, opening his arms in greeting. "Don't I get a 'hello'? It's been such a long time since we've talked, man to man…"

"Not long enough," Danny quipped, shaking with rage. Danny put his hands on the examination table, making it intangible, and Sam fell through to the ground.

"Oof!" She cried as she hit the floor.

"Sorry, Sam," Danny said, holding out a hand to help her up.

"It's fine," Sam said, taking Danny's hand and standing up unsteadily. She shook on her feet before finding her balance.

"You could have killed her!" Danny cried, glaring at Vlad. "Look what you've done!"

"I'm fine, Danny," Sam said, but her legs were shaking. Sam pressed her hand to her forehead, stumbling backwards, falling to the ground.

"You would have done the same in my position," Vlad spat. "She was being a disrespectful little brat. I don't know how you put up with her."

Danny screamed with rage as he lunged toward Vlad, knocking him over. Vlad's hands glowed green with ectoplasmic energy, and he shot Danny backward with his ghost ray. Danny crashed into the back wall of the lab, crying out as his head hit the wall's hard brick surface.

Quickly, Danny had gotten up and frozen Vlad with his ice powers. Vlad easily broke free, shooting another ghost ray at Danny. And another. And another.

Danny fell to the ground, changing back into his human form unwillingly. Vlad held his hand over Danny, ready to finish him off.

From where she sat on the sidelines, Sam was slowly regaining her energy. She saw what Vlad was about to do, and she knew it was bad. Bad, bad, bad.

Sam got up shakily, running forward to push Vlad away from Danny. Caught off guard, Vlad actually stumbled backward, shooting the ghost ray originally targeted at Danny into one of the mechanisms standing in the lab.

Sparks flew as the ray hit the machine, and something beneath them growled threateningly.

"Foolish girl!" Vlad cried. "Do you see what you've done?"

Sam backed away, but tripped over her feet and fell again.

_Man, how much electricity did Vlad shoot me up with, anyway? I can't even think straight…_

"That machine is _delicate! _And now you've made me shoot a hole into it!" Vlad cried.

Sam gave him a confused look.

"My lair is going to blow up!" Vlad said. Sam almost started laughing, but then she remembered where they were.

"But… _we're_ in your lair," Sam said. Vlad rolled his eyes.

"Yes, _we're in my lair_," Vlad snapped. "Or, rather, you two are. I'm leaving. So long, children!"

With that, Vlad went intangible and flew up and out of the ghost lair.

Sam held her head, trying to focus. It was really hard. She could barely see straight, let alone think straight. She wondered if Vlad had done any permanent brain damage.

Well, it looked like she was going to die anyway… but she didn't want to die.

_Danny's a half-ghost. Danny can fly us out of here. _

"Danny!" Sam said, running over to Danny. "Danny, do something!"

Danny grunted, and rings appeared around him. He started to go ghost, but suddenly the rings faded and Danny fell back against the wall, human.

"I'm sorry, Sam, I can't go ghost… I'm too weak," Danny said, sighing.

Sam looked around the room, frantic. The lab was rumbling and roaring. It definitely was going to blow up, and soon.

_There has to be some way out of this. _Sam thought, determined.

Suddenly, Sam caught sight of Vlad's Ghost Portal. It was still functioning; green energy radiated inside.

"Come on, Danny!" Sam cried, pulling Danny up and dragging him toward the Ghost Portal.

"Sam, where are we…?"

"Trust me!" Sam cried over the noise of the lab.

The two teens leaped into the Ghost Zone.

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It was a while before Sam finally awoke. The first thing she noticed was that she was in an unfamiliar bed.

_Was all of this a dream?_

But, no, this wasn't her room. The walls in here were white. And it was so _cold_…

"Ah, good, you're awake," a friendly voice grumbled.

Sam cried out in surprise as she looked up to see… Frostbite.

"Oh, Frostbite. Hi," Sam said. "I didn't see you there."

"The Great One has been asking about you," Frostbite said. "You've been asleep for a long while. Well, you woke up a few times in between… but you weren't in your right mind yet when you did."

"What does that mean?" Sam asked, sitting up in her bed.

"You were delirious. That man must have electrocuted quite a bit. You were lucky you didn't go into cardiac arrest. Luckily, other than a few burns, you seem now to be fully recovered. Do you feel all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit… stiff," Sam said. "How long did you say I was asleep?"

Frostbite didn't have a chance to answer her question before Danny had flown into the room.

"Ah, Great One," Frostbite said in greeting. "I'll leave you with your friend."

"Sam, are you feeling all right?" Danny said, taking Sam's hand.

"Yeah, Danny, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Sam said.

"I was… so worried," Danny said, smiling weakly. "You should have heard some of the stuff you were saying earlier…"

"What did I say?" Sam said, suddenly worried. What if she'd said something super-embarrassing? She'd never be able to live that down…

"Umm, well… nothing much, really… it was mostly just random rambling…" Danny said, rubbing his neck.

"Danny, you're a terrible liar," Sam said, sighing. "What did I say?"

"Sam, how about we talk about this some other time?" Danny said. "You've only been awake for about five minutes… and after being asleep for almost a week…"

"A week?" Sam cried, gasping. "I was asleep… for a week?"

"Well, on and off, yeah," Danny said. "But don't worry, I flew back home to let Tucker and Jazz know we're all right. They said they'd cover for us."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Sam said. "Why did you let me sleep for so long?"

"Sam, you needed the rest, after what Vlad did to you," Danny said. "I wasn't going to let you go home weak and delirious."

"All right," Sam sighed. Her stomach growled. "Hey, do you think the Far Frozen have any Recyclo-Vegetarian meal options…?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Soon, Danny and Sam were fed and ready to go.

"But I insist you stay another day," Frostbite said to Danny. "This is the first time I've seen you happy all week."

Danny smiled up at Frostbite. It was true; he'd been worried sick about Sam for almost the entirety of his stay in The Realm of the Far Frozen.

"Sam, if you're not too eager to go home…" Danny began.

"Not at all," Sam said. "I don't know what my parents are going to say about my mysterious absence, but I know they won't be happy about it."

Danny nodded.

"All right, we can stay one more day," Danny said. "But after that, we really need to get home to our families."

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The morning passed without event. In the afternoon, new snow fell, coating the ground with the wet, cold substance. Sam and Danny walked through the snow. They'd taken a day trip down to the other side of the Realm of the Far Frozen and consequently were caught in a snowstorm on the way back to the village.

Sam whipped around when she felt a snowball hit the back of her head. She glared at Danny, who was laughing himself silly at her shocked expression.

"Oh, it's _on_," Sam said, making a snowball and throwing it at Danny, who went intangible to avoid it.

"Hey, no fair using your powers!" Sam cried, grinning.

"You have powers too!" Danny protested. "We're evenly matched!"

_Oh yeah, _Sam remembered. _I have ghost powers._

Sam concentrated for a second, bringing a wall of snow to rise in front of her. Danny's eyes widened as Sam flung the snow at Danny, who cried out as the wave of snow hit him. When Danny had finally dug himself out of the pile of snow that now surrounded him, Sam had already built herself a snow fortress and was armed with dozens of snowballs.

"You're going down, Sam!" Danny said, chuckling.

"Bring it, Ghost Boy!" Sam teased.

The epic snowball fight lasted for at least forty-five minutes, and by the time Sam and Danny called it quits they couldn't feel their hands.

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"You two can stay in this cottage for the night," Frostbite said, showing them to a quaint looking cottage in the middle of the village.

Sam opened the door to find a fireplace roaring and two twin-size beds already made.

"Thanks, Frostbite," Sam said. "This is perfect."

"Of course," Frostbite said before leaving.

Sam plopped down onto the bed furthest from the door. Danny approached the fireplace, placing his hands out as if to try and absorb the warmth of the fire.

"So, Danny…" Sam said. "What _did _I say when I was delirious?"  
>"You're… not going to let this go, are you?" Danny said, turning red.<p>

"Come on, Danny," Sam said. "Why won't you tell me? Now I'm going to have to assume it's something really horribly embarrassing!"

Danny's blushed turned deeper, and Sam began to feel nervous.

"It… was something really horribly embarrassing, wasn't it?" Sam said.

"Well… it depends on how you look at it," Danny said, not looking away from the fire.

The two sat in silence for a while, Danny wondering whether he should tell Sam, Sam wondering whether she really wanted to know.

"Look, I don't want to tell you," Danny said. "But… maybe I could show you. We have this psychic connection, so maybe…"

"What?" Sam asked, but suddenly, she was seeing Danny's memory.

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_ "She's in here," Frostbite said, bringing Danny up to the door of the hut Sam lay in._

"_Thanks, Frostbite," Danny said, going in alone. _

_Sam's eyes barely fluttered open as she watched Danny walk in. Her eyes looked out of focus._

_ "Danny," she said softly as Danny came up to the bed and took her hand. "I missed you."_

_ "I was only gone a day, and you were asleep for most of that time," Danny said, confused._

_ "I know, but I missed you," Sam protested, sounding oddly like a small child. "I dreamed about you. Danny… Danny…"_

_ "Sam, are you all right?" Danny said._

_ "Yes, yes! Totally all right. Especially now that you're here, Danny," Sam said. "Have I ever told you how much I love you, Danny? Because I do! You're just great."_

_ "You… love me?" Danny said._

_ "Yes," Sam said, smiling up at Danny giddily. "I love you so much, Danny."_

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Sam was bright red. From where Danny was sitting, she looked like a tomato. A traumatized tomato.

"I… can't remember that at all," Sam mumbled.

"Look, Sam…" Danny started, getting up to sit next to Sam on her bed. "I know you were loopy, so… don't worry about it. I know you don't really feel that way about me."

Danny wished she did, though.

Sam bit her lip. Danny deserved to know how she felt. Even if he didn't return the feelings.

Sam hoped he did, though.

"Danny?" Sam said, so quietly that Danny wasn't sure he'd heard her.

"Yeah?" Danny asked, looking up to see that Sam had moved closer to him on the bed.

"I didn't want you to find out this way, but… I…" Sam's voice caught in her throat as she tried to say the next word. _Love_. Why couldn't she say that word?

"…Sam?"

How was this going to work? If she couldn't say the word…

Wait.

Maybe she couldn't say it, but she could _think_ it…

_I love you, Danny Phantom, _Sam thought with all her might. She wondered whether Danny received the thought...

Suddenly, warm arms wrapped around Sam as Danny pulled her closer and kissed her. Sam relaxed into the kiss, entwining her fingers in his hair.

_I love you too, Samantha Manson_, Sam heard Danny say in her head.

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"Thanks for everything, Frostbite," Danny said, throwing his overnight bag over his shoulder and taking Sam's hand. It was the next morning, and he and Sam were heading home bright and early.

"It's our pleasure, Great One," Frostbite said, smiling down at Danny.

"Ready to go, Sam?" Danny said, looking at her. Sam nodded, and the two took off. Frostbite waved until he couldn't see the two teens anymore.

"So, you know the way back to the Ghost Portal, right?" Sam asked, suddenly anxious that they would get lost.

"Sam, I've traveled this route dozens of times over the week," Danny said. "Relax."

"All right," Sam said. "I trust you."

Danny smiled at Sam, a smile that lit up his whole face. The dynamic between the two teens was different now that they'd confessed their feelings for one another. Everything was in the open now. No more secrets.

"So… where do your parents think you are?" Sam said.

"Um, I don't know," Danny said. "I kind of left the whole cover thing up to Tucker and Jazz."

"You think that was a good idea?" Sam said.

"Um… I don't know," Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "I guess we'll find out in a few minutes, right?"

Within five minutes, they'd reached the Fenton Portal. They slipped through into the Fenton's basement.

They were greeted by Jack and Maddie Fenton. They didn't look happy. Jazz and Tucker stood a few feet behind Danny's parents, looking ashamed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"We're sorry, Danny!" Jazz cried. "They figured out we were lying! And so then we had to tell them you were in the Ghost Zone, and then they wanted to know why you were in the Ghost Zone, so I told them that you'd gotten into this fight, and then they wanted to know why you'd be in a fight… and… oh, I'm a horrible older sister!"

"Sorry, dude," Tucker said.

Danny suddenly realized he was still in his ghost form.

"Wait… so you two know… everything?" Danny said, looking up at his parents.

"Well, the big parts, anyway," Jack Fenton said. "Why didn't you tell us, Danny?"

Danny changed back into his human form, and his parents' eyes grew wide.

"Sorry, Mom, Dad. I just… I tried to tell you for a while, but…" Danny paused, biting his lip, not sure what to say. "I'm not sure why I didn't tell you, really."

"Apology accepted," Maddie said. "But you're still grounded."

Danny looked relieved, despite his punishment.

"Um, Tucker, Jazz?" Sam asked. "What about my parents?"

"Oh, um, about that, Sam…" Jazz began, biting her lip.

"They didn't buy our cover story, so they assumed you two fell in love and ran off together," Tucker said, smirking.

Danny chuckled nervously, and Sam glared at him. Even though it was a little bit funny how close to the truth this actually was, Sam was going to be in _huge _trouble. And with her parents, that _really _wasn't a laughing matter.

"My parents are going to kill me," Sam said, sighing.

Suddenly, a burning smell wafted down into the basement.

"Oh! My cake!" Maddie said, running upstairs to the kitchen.

"Wait? Cake? You never said anything about any cake! Maddie!" Jack cried, running after his wife.

"I'm so sorry," Jazz said to Sam.

"It's fine… I probably should get home though," Sam said. "Try and patch things up. See you at school tomorrow… hopefully."

Danny was still holding on to Sam's hand, and reluctantly he dropped it.

"See you soon, Sam," Danny said, smiling at her.

Sam blushed before leaving.

"Did I… miss something?" Jazz said, looking after Sam as she walked up the stairs and then back to Danny. "It kind of seemed like you two are…"

"Together?" Danny said.

"Head-over-heels in love," Tucker said.

Danny rubbed his neck. Was it that obvious?

"I knew it!" Tucker said, triumphant. "Jazz, you owe me twenty bucks."

"Fine," Jazz said, digging around in her purse before finally producing her wallet and giving Tucker his money.

"Wait, you two… had a _bet_?" Danny said, glaring.

Tucker shrugged guiltily.

"Whatever," Danny said, shaking his head, trying to remember all of the things he wanted to tell Jazz and Tucker… about Vlad's plan, about his and Sam's psychic connection… even though Danny had come back to his home several times during the week, he never had talked to Tucker and Jazz, only left them notes.

"I have _a lot _to tell you two…"

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Sam sat in her room that night, trying not to cry.

_You okay? _She heard Danny's voice chime in her head. She jumped. Man, she was never going to get used to that.

_Not really. The parents and I got into a huge yelling match. I only barely managed to convince them not to reinstate the restraining order on you. But apparently, I'm grounded for life. _It was getting easier to send thoughts to Danny. It felt kind of like a second nature to her now.

_I'm sorry, Sam_…

_It's fine, Danny. They'll get over it. I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow they've completely forgotten about this. They're so busy with other things all the time. God forbid they actually parent their daughter. _Sam sighed, tears pricking the corners of her eyes again. No, she would not cry. She wasn't a baby.

_I love you, Sam._

Sam would never get tired of hearing that.

_I love you too, Danny. Sleep well…_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sam was right; by the next afternoon, her parents had almost completely forgotten about Sam's punishment. Her mother and father were meeting with some stockholders that day and merely told Sam to have fun when she told them she was going out.

Jack and Maddie agreed to relax Danny's punishment when Danny told them he had a date with Sam.

"I always knew you liked her!" Jack boomed before Danny managed to slip out of the house, embarrassed.

Sam and Danny met in the park, and the two decided to take a walk.

"So… what do you think Vlad's up to?" Sam wondered as they walked through the park, hand in hand.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it has something to do with getting back at us," Danny said. "I wish he'd just leave you alone. I can deal with Vlad coming after _me_, but…"

"What?" Sam said, her eyes narrowing. "You don't think I can deal with Vlad? You're not the only one here with ghost powers anymore, Danny."

"No, that's not it," Danny said, shaking his head. "I know you can defend yourself. I just don't know if I can keep my temper knowing that creep is after you."

Danny looked glum, and Sam squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Are you forgetting, Danny? _I'm_ the one that should be worrying about keeping my temper," Sam said. "I _really_ don't want to cause another accident."

"We'll work on that," Danny said. "It'll be fine, Sam."

"I hope you're right," Sam said. "But no matter what, I'm not going to chicken out again and try to run away from my powers. These powers are my responsibility, and I need to learn how to deal with them."

Danny nodded, but his eyes seemed a little out of focus as he looked at Sam.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam asked.

Danny suddenly seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, blinking a few times.

"Oh, yeah," Danny said. "Sorry, Sam. I'm just… this is so great."

Sam knew what he was talking about. Finally, they were together. Finally, they didn't have to hide their feelings from each other.

"Yeah, it kind of is," Sam said, grinning.


	8. Sneak Preview

**Hello everybody! Here's a sneak preview of the third and final installment of this series, titled "Peril." Enjoy!**

"Why did you call us here, Vlad?" Skulker said, scowling.

In the middle of the Ghost Zone, a semicircle of ghost was gathered. In the middle of this semicircle stood… or rather, floated… Vlad Plasmius. Vlad smiled smugly out at those who had gathered to listen to him. It would be all too easy to convince these ghosts to help him complete his agenda. And he would need all of these ghosts if his newest scheme was going to work out. It _had _to work out. Vlad couldn't bear the thought of that girl escaping him _again._

"Fellow ghosts," Vlad said, addressing the spirits surrounding him. "I've called this meeting in order to inform you all of a threat to the Ghost Zone and to the way we live. I feel it's important that we band together in this situation, as the danger that's threatening the Ghost Zone will not easily be defeated."

"Spit it out, Plasmius!" A ghost cried. There were several murmurs of agreement.

"Danny Phantom," Vlad said. "Almost everybody here has been beaten and hurt by him at least once. What has taken us so long to formally address this issue?"

There were several grumblings of anger throughout the audience. The ghost boy was not popular in this region of the Ghost Zone.

"The boy is not as great a threat as you make him out to be," Technus said. "He's but a child. He's powerful, but not enough to destroy us… only to beat us up and send us back here into the Ghost Zone."

"Yes," Vlad said. "The boy was not strong enough to defeat us… up until now. Now he has another ghost hybrid on his side, and she's powerful. With their powers combined… I fear this realm is in great peril."

"So, we'll destroy this new ghost hybrid, as well as Phantom?" Skulker said, a smile forming on his lips. "Who is this new enemy, anyway?"

Vlad visibly grew angry at the thought of the ghost girl, tensing as he answered the question through gritted teeth.

"Phantom's girlfriend, Samantha Manson," Vlad said.

"How do you propose we rid of these two?" Skulker said.

"I have a plan," Vlad said, a menacing grin spreading across his lips. Soon both Phantom and his meddling girlfriend would be disposed of…

**Hmm… I wonder what Vlad has planned for Sam? All will be revealed when "Peril" comes out this holiday season. Subscribe to author Emmyrad (that's me!) to be alerted when I post it! **


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